T: A magnificent wave of chocolate. Perhaps the most chocolate forward double stout ever with the word barely mentioned on the label. Really tasty without being too sweet though.

M: Very thick and coating.

Overall: An excellent double stout -- but I'm somehow skeptical English brewers could pull off such a refined beer in 1893. If this is indeed brewed to the same recepie and methods of 1893, I am quite impressed with everyone involved. (821 characters)

Well this is all kinds of great. Coffee, chocolate, cream, roasted malt grain, and a touch of oak make for one damned tasty stout. Roasted coffee provides a lingering finish. The extra booze is well contained, giving this brew a hearty, winter stout feel. Creamy, moderate carbonation, mild bodied. Very drinkable.

Happy with this one as well - felt like an amped up London Porter, which is a very, very nice thing to say. (766 characters)

Deep black colour, as if poured from a bottle marked 5W30. When held to very bright light, only the slightest trace of ruby appears at the bottom of the glass. It's tan collar is fairly retentive but doesn't really lace much. Complex but approachable aroma with notes of marsala wine, black coffee, chocolate, dried cherries, raisins, molasses, and a hint of butterscotch. Tastes bittersweet with a pleasant acidity. There is a powerful charred and smokey character underneath sweet dried cherry and tangy plum. That fruity quality is joined by French roast coffee midpalate, with both lasting into the finish. The finish is long, and eventually develops a light hazelnut character if allowed to linger long enough. There's just a hint of sharpness from the alcohol, and it enhances the beer rather than detracting from it.

Medium-bodied with low carbonation. Feels smooth and surprisingly light. Not watery light - it just doesn't sit heavy. This is a big and flavourful stout, and an interesting look into the history of English brewing. Fullers have chosen to innovate by drawing upon their tradition and heritage, and have created something that they should be proud of. (1,176 characters)

Good for the style. Pours black body without a significant head. Slightly smokey, chocolate aroma. Thickish looking and it is above average mouthfeel. Good drinkability. Middle of the road conservative, not extreme in roast or smoke. Mostly sweet chocolate aftertaste. (268 characters)

Appearance: Pours Black. To quote Dale Cooper, "Black as the sky on a moonless night." A wonderfully thick and creamy head....

Smell: A dark chocolate espresso in which the beans were roasted over an open fire. A touch of sweet candy in there as well. Fascinating.

Taste and Mouthfeel: Honestly, without a doubt the best, smoothest mouthfeel i;ve ever had in a stout. Silk. Milky, very odd the way it sits on your tongue. Dark chocolate with a nice smokey flavor. Minerally. Extremely smooth with a lasting warmth. Very complex with chocolate in the background.

I really hope FUller's keeps this one going, its my new favorite stout. I'm surprised how good this is, even though I love Fuller's. (770 characters)

Purchased from the brewery shop at Fullers Griffin Brewery, Chiswick and poured into a Fullers ESB large pint goblet.

Pours a very dark brown 'almost' black in colour with a large frothy tan head.

Dark roasted malts make up the majority of the aroma and in the background a definate whiff of chocolate allied to a little nut and smoke.

Great tastes in this well balanced beer, picking up on all the favourites of a good old school stout that so many beers lack. From chocolate and coffee to leather, nut, a little dark fruit, a good dose of smoke - more so than on the nose and a small pinch of liquorice. A little woody on the finish (this is no criticism btw!)

Medium to full in body, you wouldn't necessarily think you were drinking a 7%+ beer! A fairly creamy texture which teases the throat for more and a small amount of carbonation which befits this style of beer.

Overall a very good beer and I'll definiately seek out again. However it cost £4.25 for a 500ml bottle at the brewery shop which I felt was a little overpriced! (1,038 characters)

A - Pours an opaque black with a small amount of tan head and no lacingS - Smells of chocolate with molasses and notes of grape and cherryT - Tastes of coffee, molasses and cherry with touch of vanillaM - Somewhat thick, velvety and without significant carbonationO - This is a pretty good stout. Overall, it tastes to me like a more complex, thicker version of the Fuller's London Porter. (393 characters)

Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color stout with a nicer large foamy head with good retention and some good lacing. Aroma consists of roasted malt with some sweet lactic notes and black chocolate. Taste is also a nice mix of roasted malt with dry black chocolate notes and some lactic notes. Body is full with a creamy texture and some good carbonation. Interesting experiment though lacking a bit of complexity to be something I would have on a regular basis. (457 characters)

A - Poured a medium to dark brown an settled black with half a finger of bubbly light brown head that quickly receded to a few scattered bubbles.

S - A bit hit of dark chocolate and licorice up front complimented by smoke and roasted malts.

T - Roasted malts, smoke, licorice and dark chocolate. Followed the nose almost perfectly. A warming alcohol presence and a good bitterness are present throughout and are well complimented by some sweetness that accompanies the chocolate and molasses notes.

O - A very enjoyable double stout, especially considering the age of this recipe. (638 characters)

A - Pours a deep Ebony colour with no light visible through the glass. The head is coffee coloured and retains very well.

S - Massive coffee aromas backed up nicely by dark chocolate.

T - Up front some nice sweet malt flavours of chocolate. The middle is expresso and the finish is massively coffee, and I mean big coffee. Slight roasted rauch flavour as well.

M - Full body and silky smooth carbonation.

O - This is a big stout and based on this brew I sure hope that Fullers bring out some more of these Past Masters brews. Its so well balanced and not overpowering. Its just nice to try a big stout without it having to be a super duper, double trouble Barrel aged stout aged in 240 yr old Whiskey barrels. (757 characters)

Appearance - Black/brown colour with an above average size fizzy and frothy light brown head. There is a low amount of carbonation showing and there is some good lacing. The head lasted for around 5 minutes.

Smell - Malts, chocolate, roasted/toasted nuts

Taste & Mouth - There is low amount of carbonation and I can taste malts, chocolate, and coffee. There is also a bit of a hop bitterness and some burnt flavours. It ends with a malt and chocolate aftertaste and a lingering bitterness.

Overall - You can really taste the quality with this beer. It's well crafted and has a nice non-artificial chocolate flavour. (646 characters)

Pours as black as the bottle itself, tan/mocha head of about a finger sits atop. Some good lacing and slim retention, save a thick collar. Nose has some lactic notes, a hint of smoke, bitter chocolate and some roast. This is reflected on the palate, milk and bittersweet chocolate, caramel, a bit of dark fruits, roast and underlying smoke as well. Well balanced, good flavour and a solid roasty bitterness in the finish, again with the gentle smoke and subtle fruitiness. Great mouthfeel and medium carbonation. An excellent stout, wish this was more readily available in the province. (658 characters)